| Dr. Katja Raesaenen Aquatic Ecology Eawag Ueberlandstrasse 133 P. O. Box 611 8600 Duebendorf Switzerland | Phone +41 58 765 5186 Fax +41 58 765 5315 Office BU-G15 katja.raesaenen@eawag.ch Private Homepage |
Katja Raesaenen
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Sampling for invertebrate predators at a moor frog breeding site in Sweden |
On the evolution of biological diversity: adaptive divergence from populations to species
My research focuses on understanding the processes and mechanisms of adaptive divergence, in particular at ecological time scales (i.e. within a few generations), the constraints to this adaptation, and how adaptive divergence can lead to reproductive isolation (ecological speciation). I focus in particular on the roles of maternal effects and gene flow and investigate how organisms respond evolutionarily to human induced environmental changes by studying adaptive divergence in response to acidification in amphibians and reproductive isolation in adaptive divergence in lake/stream stickleback.
My main study methods include field surveys, common garden experiments (in laboratory and in nature), as well as quantitative genetics. Future work will extensively incorporate molecular genetics. I have received financial support for this research from The Swedish Research Council (VR), the Swedish Research Council Formas and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF).
Academic milestones:
Jan 2006- present. Oberassistentin (non-tenurable Assistant Professor), ETH-Zurich, Institute of Integrative Biology, and Eawag, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Switzerland.
July 2003-Dec 2005. Post doctoral fellow, Redpath Museum & Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Jan-June 2003. Post doctoral fellow, Department of Population Biology, Uppsala University, Sweden.
November 2002. Ph.D. at the Department of Population Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Dec 1997. M.Sc. in Animal Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Oulu, Finland.
Teaching at ETH: Practical and lecture courses in evolutionary ecology and aquatic biodiversity. For details see: http://www.internal.eawag.ch/~jokelaju/
Selected publications
Räsänen, K, Söderman, F., Laurila, Al. & Merilä, J. Geographic variation in maternal investment: acidification affects egg size and fecundity in Rana arvalis. Ecology (conditionally accepted).
Teplitsky, C., Räsänen, K. & Laurila, A. Adaptive plasticity in stressful environments: acidity constrains inducible defences in Rana arvalis. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9, 447-458.
Räsänen, K. & Kruuk, L.E.B. Maternal effects and evolution at ecological time scales. Functional Ecoogy 21, 408-421.
Räsänen, K., Laurila, A. & Merilä, J. 2005. Maternal investment in egg size: environment and population specific effects on offspring performance. Oecologia 142, 546-553
Räsänen, K., Laurila, A. & Merilä, J. 2003. Geographic variation in acid stress tolerance of the moor frog, Rana arvalis. I. Local adaptation. Evolution 57, 352-362.
Räsänen, K., Laurila, A. & Merilä, J. 2003. Geographic variation in acid stress tolerance of the moor frog, Rana arvalis. II. Adaptive maternal effects. Evolution 57, 363-371.
Räsänen, K., Pahkala, M., Laurila, A. & Merilä, J. 2003. Does jelly envelope protect embryos of the common frog Rana temporaria from UV-B radiation? Herpetologica 59, 293-300.
Räsänen, K., Laurila, A. & Merilä, J. 2002. Carry-over effects of embryonic pH on development and growth of Rana temporaria tadpoles. Freshwater Biology 47, 19-30.
Sheldon, B.C., Räsänen, K. & Dias, P. 1997. Certainty of paternity and paternal effort in the collared flycatcher. Behavioural Ecology 8, 421-428.
Book chapters:
Räsänen, K. & D.M. Green. 2007. Acidification and its effects on amphibian populations. In Amphibian Biology, Volume 8. Conservation and Ecology. H. Heatwole (ed.), Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, Australia. (in press).
Manuscripts near completion:
Räsänen, K. & Hendry, A.P. The balance between adaptive divergence and gene flow in nature: disentangling cause and consequence.
Delcourt, M., Räsänen, K., & Hendry, A.P. Genetic and plastic components of divergent male courtship behaviour in Misty lake and stream stickleback.
Turcotte, M.M., Moore, J.-S., Räsänen, K., Taylor, E.B. & Hendry, A.P. Gene flow and morphological divergence of lake and stream stickleback.